Message flows run on WhatsApp in this release. Other channels are on the roadmap; a flow bound to any other channel is refused at publish.
Wait steps hold the conversation for time, or branch on it: a pause, a time of day, the 24-hour window, opening hours, a rate limit.
This is the reference for the Wait group of the flow builder's palette. Every step below is listed with what it does, the settings it takes, the branches it can leave by and the one thing to keep in mind. Settings marked "templated" accept {{vars.x}}, {{contact.name}} and {{last.text}}.
Delay
Pause, then resume — on the open branch if the window is still open.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
seconds |
How long to pause (1 second to 30 days); the flow resumes within about a minute of the time, by open or closed depending on the 24-hour window. A pause longer than the session TTL keeps the session alive for it. |
on_message |
What to do when the customer writes during the pause: notice (default — say one "still working" line, keep waiting), interrupt (leave now by the replied branch), or ignore (silence). |
Branches: open closed replied
Keep in mind: The flow resumes within about a minute of the time, never to the second. A pause longer than the session TTL keeps the session alive for it.
Wait until
Hold until a time of day or a date.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
at |
A time of day (09:00, rolls to tomorrow when past) or a date-time (2026-09-12 14:30, ISO 8601 accepted) in the WORKSPACE timezone; templated. Unreadable takes invalid when drawn, else the flow's error handling. |
on_message |
As on delay: notice (default), interrupt (leave by replied), or ignore. |
Branches: next replied invalid
Keep in mind: Times are read in the workspace timezone; an unreadable time takes invalid when drawn.
Window gate
Is the 24-hour customer-service window still open?
Branches: open closed
Keep in mind: WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram have a 24-hour window and TikTok 48 hours; SMS and email are always open.
Opening hours
Branch on the workspace's business hours and holidays.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
schedule_id |
Optional id of the business schedule to read; blank uses the account's (the channel's own, else the workspace default). With no schedule at all the gate takes no_schedule when drawn, else closed — a gate fails closed. The answer is in {{vars.__schedule}}. |
Branches: open closed holiday no_schedule
Keep in mind: With no business schedule the gate fails closed — draw no_schedule if a new workspace should still be greeted.
Rate limit
Cap how often this branch runs for one contact.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
limit |
How many passes are allowed in the window. |
per_seconds |
The window length in seconds (60 seconds to 30 days). |
scope |
contact (per customer), flow (everyone in this flow) or tenant (the whole workspace). A gate inside a subflow shares one allowance whichever flow called it. |
Branches: pass limited
Keep in mind: Counts real conversations only; a simulation never spends the allowance. limited must be drawn to publish.
Where next
- Open the builder at Message flows and drag any of these onto the canvas — the panel on the right shows the same settings.
- New to flows? Start with Build your first WhatsApp flow.
- The other groups: Say · Ask · Think · Decide · Do · Route.
- The rules every flow lives under: the 24-hour window, payments, what we keep and why a flow stops.